Strategy: What is strategy?

Overall Definition: Johnson and Scholes (Exploring Corporate Strategy) define strategy as follows: "Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations". In other words, strategy is about:
* Where is the business trying to get to in the long-term (direction) * Which markets should a business compete in and what kind of activities are involved in such markets? (markets; scope) * How can the business perform better than the competition in those markets? (advantage)? * What resources (skills, assets, finance, relationships, technical competence, facilities) are required in order to be able to compete? (resources)? * What external, environmental factors affect the businesses' ability to compete? (environment)? * What are the values and expectations of those who have power in and around the business? (stakeholders)

Strategy at Different Levels of a Business Strategies exist at several levels in any organisation - ranging from the overall business (or group of businesses) through to individuals working in it. Corporate Strategy - is concerned with the overall purpose and scope of the business to meet stakeholder expectations. This is a crucial level since it is heavily influenced by investors in the business and acts to guide strategic decision-making throughout the business. Corporate strategy is often stated explicitly in a "mission statement". Business Unit Strategy - is concerned more with how a business competes successfully in a particular market. It concerns strategic decisions about choice of products, meeting needs of customers, gaining advantage over competitors, exploiting or creating new opportunities etc.

Operational Strategy - is concerned with how each part of the business is organised to deliver the corporate and business-unit level strategic direction. Operational strategy therefore focuses on issues of resources, processes, people etc. How Strategy is Managed - Strategic Management In its broadest sense, strategic management is about taking "strategic decisions" - decisions that answer the questions above. In practice, a thorough strategic management process has three main components, shown in the figure below:

Strategic Analysis This is all about the analysing the strength of businesses' position and understanding the important external factors that may influence that position. The process of Strategic Analysis can be assisted by a number of tools, including:
PEST Analysis - a technique for understanding the "environment" in which a business operates Scenario Planning - a technique that builds various plausible views of possible futures for a business Five Forces Analysis - a technique for identifying the forces which affect the level of competition in an industry Market Segmentation - a technique which seeks to identify similarities and differences between groups of customers or users

Directional Policy Matrix - a technique which summarises the competitive strength of a businesses operations in specific markets Competitor Analysis - a wide range of techniques and analysis that seeks to summarise a businesses' overall competitive position Critical Success Factor Analysis - a technique to identify those areas in which a business must outperform the competition in order to succeed SWOT Analysis - a useful summary technique for summarising the key issues arising from an assessment of a businesses "internal" position and "external" environmental influences.

Strategic Choice This process involves understanding the nature of stakeholder expectations (the "ground rules"), identifying strategic options, and then evaluating and selecting strategic options. Strategy Implementation Often the hardest part. When a strategy has been analysed and selected, the task is then to translate it into organisational action.

Product portfolio - the Boston Matrix (or Boston Box)

Introduction The business portfolio is the collection of businesses and products that make up the company. The best business portfolio is one that fits the company's strengths and helps exploit the most attractive opportunities. The company must: (1) Analyse its current business portfolio and decide which businesses should receive more or less investment, and (2) Develop growth strategies for adding new products and businesses to the portfolio, whilst at the same time deciding when products and businesses should no longer be retained.

Methods of Portfolio Planning The two best-known portfolio planning methods are from the Boston Consulting Group (the subject of this revision note) and by General Electric/Shell. In each method, the first step is to identify the various Strategic Business Units ("SBU's") in a company portfolio. An SBU is a unit of the company that has a separate mission and objectives and that can be planned independently from the other businesses. An SBU can be a company division, a product line or even individual brands - it all depends on how the company is organised. The Boston Consulting Group Box ("BCG Box")

Using the BCG Box (an example is illustrated above) a company classifies all its SBU's according to two dimensions: On the horizontal axis: relative market share - this serves as a measure of SBU strength in the market On the vertical axis: market growth rate - this provides a measure of market attractiveness By dividing the matrix into four areas, four types of SBU can be distinguished: Stars - Stars are high growth businesses or products competing in markets where they are relatively strong compared with the competition. Often they need heavy investment to sustain their growth. Eventually their growth will slow and, assuming they maintain their relative market share, will become cash cows. Cash Cows - Cash cows are low-growth businesses or products with a relatively high market share. These are mature, successful businesses with relatively little need for investment. They need to be managed for continued profit - so that they continue to generate the strong cash flows that the company needs for its Stars.

Question marks - Question marks are businesses or products with low market share but which operate in higher growth markets. This suggests that they have potential, but may require substantial investment in order to grow market share at the expense of more powerful competitors. Management have to think hard about "question marks" - which ones should they invest in? Which ones should they allow to fail or shrink? Dogs - Unsurprisingly, the term "dogs" refers to businesses or products that have low relative share in unattractive, low-growth markets. Dogs may generate enough cash to break-even, but they are rarely, if ever, worth investing in. Using the BCG Box to determine strategy Once a company has classified its SBU's, it must decide what to do with them. In the diagram above, the company has one large cash cow (the size of the circle is proportional to the SBU's sales), a large dog and two, smaller stars and question marks. Conventional strategic thinking suggests there are four possible strategies for each SBU: (1) Build Share: here the company can invest to increase market share (for example turning a "question mark" into a star) (2) Hold: here the company invests just enough to keep the SBU in its present position (3) Harvest: here the company reduces the amount of investment in order to maximise the shortterm cash flows and profits from the SBU. This may have the effect of turning Stars into Cash Cows. (4) Divest: the company can divest the SBU by phasing it out or selling it - in order to use the resources elsewhere (e.g. investing in the more promising "question marks").

Ansoff's product / market matrix

Introduction The Ansoff Growth matrix is a tool that helps businesses decide their product and market growth strategy. Ansoffs product/market growth matrix suggests that a business attempts to grow depend on whether it markets new or existing products in new or existing markets.

The output from the Ansoff product/market matrix is a series of suggested growth strategies that set the direction for the business strategy. These are described below: Market penetration Market penetration is the name given to a growth strategy where the business focuses on selling existing products into existing markets. Market penetration seeks to achieve four main objectives: Maintain or increase the market share of current products this can be achieved by a combination of competitive pricing strategies, advertising, sales promotion and perhaps more resources dedicated to personal selling Secure dominance of growth markets Restructure a mature market by driving out competitors; this would require a much more aggressive promotional campaign, supported by a pricing strategy designed to make the market unattractive for competitors Increase usage by existing customers for example by introducing loyalty schemes A market penetration marketing strategy is very much about business as usual. The business is focusing on markets and products it knows well. It is likely to have good information on

competitors and on customer needs. It is unlikely, therefore, that this strategy will require much investment in new market research. Market development Market development is the name given to a growth strategy where the business seeks to sell its existing products into new markets. There are many possible ways of approaching this strategy, including: New geographical markets; for example exporting the product to a new country New product dimensions or packaging: for example New distribution channels Different pricing policies to attract different customers or create new market segments Product development Product development is the name given to a growth strategy where a business aims to introduce new products into existing markets. This strategy may require the development of new competencies and requires the business to develop modified products which can appeal to existing markets. Diversification Diversification is the name given to the growth strategy where a business markets new products in new markets. This is an inherently more risk strategy because the business is moving into markets in which it has little or no experience. For a business to adopt a diversification strategy, therefore, it must have a clear idea about what it expects to gain from the strategy and an honest assessment of the risks.

GE Matrix
The business portfolio is the collection of businesses and products that make up the company. The best business portfolio is one that fits the company's strengths and helps exploit the most attractive opportunities. The company must:

(1) Analyse its current business portfolio and decide which businesses should receive more or less investment, and (2) Develop growth strategies for adding new products and businesses to the portfolio, whilst at the same time deciding when products and businesses should no longer be retained. The two best-known portfolio planning methods are the Boston Consulting Group Portfolio Matrix and the McKinsey / General Electric Matrix (discussed in this revision note). In both methods, the first step is to identify the various Strategic Business Units ("SBU's") in a company portfolio. An SBU is a unit of the company that has a separate mission and objectives and that can be planned independently from the other businesses. An SBU can be a company division, a product line or even individual brands - it all depends on how the company is organised. The McKinsey / General Electric Matrix The McKinsey/GE Matrix overcomes a number of the disadvantages of the BCG Box. Firstly, market attractiveness replaces market growth as the dimension of industry attractiveness, and includes a broader range of factors other than just the market growth rate. Secondly, competitive strength replaces market share as the dimension by which the competitive position of each SBU is assessed. The diagram below illustrates some of the possible elements that determine market attractiveness and competitive strength by applying the McKinsey/GE Matrix to the UK retailing market:

Factors that Affect Market Attractiveness Whilst any assessment of market attractiveness is necessarily subjective, there are several factors which can help determine attractiveness. These are listed below:

- Market Size - Market growth - Market profitability - Pricing trends - Competitive intensity / rivalry - Overall risk of returns in the industry - Opportunity to differentiate products and services - Segmentation - Distribution structure (e.g. retail, direct, wholesale Factors that Affect Competitive Strength Factors to consider include: - Strength of assets and competencies - Relative brand strength - Market share - Customer loyalty - Relative cost position (cost structure compared with competitors) - Distribution strength - Record of technological or other innovation - Access to financial and other investment resources

McKinsey growth pyramid

Introduction This model is similar in some respects to the well-established Ansoff Model. However, it looks at growth strategy from a slightly different perspective. The McKinsey model argues that businesses should develop their growth strategies based on: Operational skills Privileged assets Growth skills Special relationships Growth can be achieved by looking at business opportunities along several dimensions, summarised in the diagram below:

 Operational skills are the core competences that a business has which can provide the foundation for a growth strategy. For example, the business may have strong competencies in customer service; distribution, technology. Privileged assets are those assets held by the business that are hard to replicate by competitors. For example, in a direct marketing-based business these assets might include a particularly large customer database, or a well-established brand. Growth skills are the skills that businesses need if they are to successfully manage a growth strategy. These include the skills of new product development, or negotiating and integrating acquisitions. Special relationships are those that can open up new options. For example, the business may have specially string relationships with trade bodies in the industry that can make the process of growing in export markets easier than for the competition. The model outlines seven ways of achieving growth, which are summarised below: Existing products to existing customers The lowest-risk option; try to increase sales to the existing customer base; this is about increasing the frequency of purchase and maintaining customer loyalty

Existing products to new customers Taking the existing customer base, the objective is to find entirely new products that these customers might buy, or start to provide products that existing customers currently buy from competitors New products and services A combination of Ansoffs market development & diversification strategy taking a risk by developing and marketing new products. Some of these can be sold to existing customers who may trust the business (and its brands) to deliver; entirely new customers may need more persuasion New delivery approaches This option focuses on the use of distribution channels as a possible source of growth. Are there ways in which existing products and services can be sold via new or emerging channels which might boost sales? New geographies With this method, businesses are encouraged to consider new geographic areas into which to sell their products. Geographical expansion is one of the most powerful options for growth but also one of the most difficult. New industry structure This option considers the possibility of acquiring troubled competitors or consolidating the industry through a general acquisition programme New competitive arenas This option requires a business to think about opportunities to integrate vertically or consider whether the skills of the business could be used in other industries.

Strategy: PEST analysis

PEST analysis is concerned with the key external environmental influences on a business. The acronym stands for the Political, Economic, Social and Technological issues that could affect the strategic development of a business. Identifying PEST influences is a useful way of summarising the external environment in which a business operates. However, it must be followed up by consideration of how a business should respond to these influences.

The table below lists some possible factors that could indicate important environmental influences for a business under the PEST headings:
Political / Legal Economic Social Technological

Economic growth Environmental regulation and protection (overall; by industry sector) Monetary policy Taxation (corporate; (interest rates) consumer)

Government spending (overall level; specific spending priorities) Policy towards Consumer protection unemployment (minimum wage, unemployment benefits, grants) Taxation (impact on Employment law consumer disposable income, incentives to invest in capital equipment, corporation tax rates) Government organisation Exchange rates (effects on demand / attitude by overseas customers; effect on cost of imported components) Competition regulation Inflation (effect on costs and selling prices) Stage of the business cycle (effect on short-term business performance) International trade regulation

Income distribution (change in distribution of disposable income; Demographics (age structure of the population; gender; family size and composition; changing nature of occupations) Labour / social mobility

Government spending on research Government and industry focus on technological effort

New discoveries and development

Lifestyle changes (e.g. Speed of technology Home working, single transfer households)

Attitudes to work and leisure

Rates of technological obsolescence

Education

Energy use and costs

Fashions and fads

Changes in material sciences Impact of changes in Information technology

Health & welfare

Economic "mood" - Living conditions consumer (housing, amenities, confidence pollution)

Internet!

Strategy: Porter's Five Forces Model: analysing industry structure

Defining an industry An industry is a group of firms that market products which are close substitutes for each other (e.g. the car industry, the travel industry). Some industries are more profitable than others. Why? The answer lies in understanding the dynamics of competitive structure in an industry. The most influential analytical model for assessing the nature of competition in an industry is Michael Porter's Five Forces Model, which is described below:

Porter explains that there are five forces that determine industry attractiveness and long-run industry profitability. These five "competitive forces" are - The threat of entry of new competitors (new entrants) - The threat of substitutes - The bargaining power of buyers

- The bargaining power of suppliers - The degree of rivalry between existing competitors Threat of New Entrants New entrants to an industry can raise the level of competition, thereby reducing its attractiveness. The threat of new entrants largely depends on the barriers to entry. High entry barriers exist in some industries (e.g. shipbuilding) whereas other industries are very easy to enter (e.g. estate agency, restaurants). Key barriers to entry include - Economies of scale - Capital / investment requirements - Customer switching costs - Access to industry distribution channels - The likelihood of retaliation from existing industry players. Threat of Substitutes The presence of substitute products can lower industry attractiveness and profitability because they limit price levels. The threat of substitute products depends on: - Buyers' willingness to substitute - The relative price and performance of substitutes - The costs of switching to substitutes Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers are the businesses that supply materials & other products into the industry. The cost of items bought from suppliers (e.g. raw materials, components) can have a significant impact on a company's profitability. If suppliers have high bargaining power over a company, then in theory the company's industry is less attractive. The bargaining power of suppliers will be high when: - There are many buyers and few dominant suppliers - There are undifferentiated, highly valued products - Suppliers threaten to integrate forward into the industry (e.g. brand manufacturers threatening to set up their own retail outlets) - Buyers do not threaten to integrate backwards into supply - The industry is not a key customer group to the suppliers Bargaining Power of Buyers Buyers are the people / organisations who create demand in an industry The bargaining power of buyers is greater when

- There are few dominant buyers and many sellers in the industry - Products are standardised - Buyers threaten to integrate backward into the industry - Suppliers do not threaten to integrate forward into the buyer's industry - The industry is not a key supplying group for buyers Intensity of Rivalry The intensity of rivalry between competitors in an industry will depend on: - The structure of competition - for example, rivalry is more intense where there are many small or equally sized competitors; rivalry is less when an industry has a clear market leader - The structure of industry costs - for example, industries with high fixed costs encourage competitors to fill unused capacity by price cutting - Degree of differentiation - industries where products are commodities (e.g. steel, coal) have greater rivalry; industries where competitors can differentiate their products have less rivalry - Switching costs - rivalry is reduced where buyers have high switching costs - i.e. there is a significant cost associated with the decision to buy a product from an alternative supplier - Strategic objectives - when competitors are pursuing aggressive growth strategies, rivalry is more intense. Where competitors are "milking" profits in a mature industry, the degree of rivalry is less - Exit barriers - when barriers to leaving an industry are high (e.g. the cost of closing down factories) - then competitors tend to exhibit greater rivalry.

Strategy: SWOT analysis - introduction

SWOT analysis is a method for analysing a business, its resources, and its environment. SWOT is commonly used as part of strategic planning and looks at:

Internal strengths Internal weaknesses Opportunities in the external environment Threats in the external environment

SWOT can help management in a business discover:

What the business does better than the competition What competitors do better than the business Whether the business is making the most of the opportunities available

How a business should respond to changes in its external environment

The result of the analysis is a matrix of positive and negative factors for management to address: Positive factors Internal factors External factors Strengths Opportunities Negative factors Weaknesses Threats

The key point to remember about SWOT is that: Strengths and weaknesses

Are internal to the business Relate to the present situation

Opportunities and threats

Are external to the business Relate to changes in the environment which will impact the business

Using SWOT analysis

There is no point producing a SWOT analysis unless it is actioned! SWOT analysis should be more than a list - it is an analytical technique to support strategic decisions Strategy should be devised around strengths and opportunities The key words are match and convert:

A key challenge for any business is to convert weaknesses into strengths. For example:
Weakness

Possible Response

Outdated technology Skills gap Overdependence on a single product Poor quality High fixed costs

Acquire competitor with leading technology Invest in training & more effective recruitment Diversify the product portfolio by entering new markets Invest in quality assurance Examine potential for outsourcing or offshoring

Dont forget that for every perceived threat, the same change presents an opportunity for business.

Strategy: Value chain analysis

Introduction Value Chain Analysis describes the activities that take place in a business and relates them to an analysis of the competitive strength of the business. Influential work by Michael Porter suggested that the activities of a business could be grouped under two headings: (1) Primary Activities - those that are directly concerned with creating and delivering a product (e.g. component assembly); and (2) Support Activities, which whilst they are not directly involved in production, may increase effectiveness or efficiency (e.g. human resource management). It is rare for a business to undertake all primary and support activities. Value Chain Analysis is one way of identifying which activities are best undertaken by a business and which are best provided by others ("out sourced"). Linking Value Chain Analysis to Competitive Advantage What activities a business undertakes is directly linked to achieving competitive advantage. For example, a business which wishes to outperform its competitors through differentiating itself through higher quality will have to perform its value chain activities better than the opposition. By contrast, a strategy based on seeking cost leadership will require a reduction in the costs associated with the value chain activities, or a reduction in the total amount of resources used. Primary Activities Primary value chain activities include:
Primary Activity Description

Inbound logistics All those activities concerned with receiving and storing externally sourced materials Operations The manufacture of products and services - the way in which resource inputs (e.g. materials) are converted to outputs (e.g. products) All those activities associated with getting finished goods and services to buyers

Outbound logistics Marketing and sales Service

Essentially an information activity - informing buyers and consumers about products and services (benefits, use, price etc.) All those activities associated with maintaining product performance after the product has been sold

Support Activities Support activities include:

Secondary Activity Procurement Description

This concerns how resources are acquired for a business (e.g. sourcing and negotiating with materials suppliers)

Human Resource Those activities concerned with recruiting, developing, motivating and rewarding the Management workforce of a business Technology Development Infrastructure Activities concerned with managing information processing and the development and protection of "knowledge" in a business Concerned with a wide range of support systems and functions such as finance, planning, quality control and general senior management

Steps in Value Chain Analysis Value chain analysis can be broken down into a three sequential steps:

(1) Break down a market/organisation into its key activities under each of the major headings in the model; (2) Assess the potential for adding value via cost advantage or differentiation, or identify current activities where a business appears to be at a competitive disadvantage; (3) Determine strategies built around focusing on activities where competitive advantage can be sustained